Episode 88. The White Tower Turns Red (4)
“Tina, let’s go near the ferry where the Blue Cat is anchored.”
“It’s been a while since we last met, so why don’t you say hello?”
“Hello…? Didn’t you say hello?”
“I didn’t do it, Inma!”
Tina headed towards the ferry where the ship was anchored with leisurely wings. As she descended below the clouds, she could clearly see the chaotic White City.
The crashed Grandbird and the annihilated elite soldiers. And the numerous civilians gathered around the White Tower and the regular soldiers controlling them.
“When I picked you up earlier, you almost fainted. You, you punk. You knew that, right?”
It tells the story of the appearance of the Siren.
“I never expected that I would meet my mother. And that the Emperor would declare martial law in Philimond.”
“I thought I was finally getting out of this damned white city, but I guess I’ll have to kill myself for a few more days.”
“But it won’t be as urgent as before. There won’t be anything dangerous. We can just quietly enjoy the festival.”
“festivities?”
“They said that once martial law is lifted, the city’s festival will begin.”
At those words, Tina seemed to feel less burdened and hummed lightly.
On the other hand, Rubin was different. He had difficulty organizing his thoughts. It had been less than a month since he left the Roinen mansion, and it was not only the fact that he had reunited with his mother that was surprising.
The trajectory of time is out of alignment.
Things unfold differently from what Rubin knew.
Of course, I had expected it to some extent. The more Rubin’s choice differs from the past, the more it will have an impact.
However, the case of Amret and the Emperor’s suppression force, who tried to kill Rubin, was different. The time difference was too great, and the scale was also enormous.
Before the return, Amret’s cause of death was natural causes. Killian’s assassination was falsely reported as natural causes of death due to old age.
But in this life, Amret was branded a traitor and killed. The emperor even created a new hero, the head of the Hardem family.
‘I guess it means that the big and small changes I make can make a big difference in the end.’
From now on, there may be more to the future that Rubin does not know than what he knows.
Of course, it’s not necessarily all bad.
Before her return, Siren had to be over twenty years old to reach the 8th star, but now she has already reached the 8th star. She has been brought forward by nearly ten years.
The same goes for Tina, who Rubin is riding on right now. She was a member of the Phantom Tribe who died two years ago, but now she is helping Rubin as Roinekrow.
‘You just have to become stronger. That’s the only way to remain unshaken in the face of the new future that unfolds.’
It is impossible to unconditionally predict the future. This also means that the differences between the Rubin of the past and the Rubin of the present are now so great that they cannot be narrowed down.
‘Givenrat’s Tears.’
Rubin looked at the skull of Yorick he was holding. It had a soft yellowish glow, and at first glance, it looked like a decoration. That was why Tina was interested.
“But, Rubin. What are you holding? Are you going to give it to me?”
“Sorry, but this is mine.”
“I think I’ll be captivated just by looking at it… Wouldn’t you like to give it to this kind, kind, and beautiful Hwanhyeoljok?”
Tina seemed to be seriously aiming for this. Rubin warned her firmly not to eat the dragon’s tears out of greed.
“It’s a necromancer’s skull, so it won’t be of much use to you.”
“What, necromancers! Those filthy bastards? Throw them away now!”
Most people, unless they were warlocks, despised black magic, but the Hwan-Blooded Tribe was particularly bad at it.
The Necromancer’s core values were not just disregard for life, but were close to blasphemy against it. I didn’t know how fortunate it was that Tina hadn’t seen Yorick.
“Tina, have you met Kuze? Where is he now?”
“Like you said, I’ll get the kid home safely and wait for him on the Blue Cat.”
“Hmm, then you must have seen the gift Kuze brought?”
“What? You have a present? No way… …!”
“Yes. It has a beautiful light… … .”
Rubin’s next words were drowned out by the sound of the wind. This was because Tina was speeding up at full speed. As expected of someone with the illusionary trait ‘speed’, Tina was flying at an incredibly fast speed.
* * *
“Here, this.”
Siren places two large bundles on the table.
Killian’s eyes sparkled. He could tell what was inside the package just by smelling it. Patchouli and blueberries.
However, these were not the usual patchouli and blueberries. These were grown by the vassals themselves at the Roinen mansion.
Roinen’s family liquor, Oakum, is a simple liquor that can be made with just patchouli and blueberries.
But if the ingredients used in the casting were grown in the soil near the Roinen mansion, the story would be different.
“As expected! I told you I raised a good son. This is a fitting tribute to the old Roynenser.”
“… … .”
Siren looked around for a moment.
There were about four hours left before the Emperor’s suppression force appeared.
Although the sudden accident of the Grandbird crash was a bit chaotic, it was only a minor incident compared to the major events that would unfold in the future.
Perhaps because of this, far from the scene of the accident, citizens were going about their daily lives as usual.
Hororok, hororok.
Siren and Killian were also sitting at a table outside the cafe, leisurely drinking tea.
After everyone had finished drinking the tea, Siren would return to the Roinen mansion, having completed her mission, and Killian would set out on his own new path. Before doing so, they had a quick chat.
“Puree raised it herself.”
“Oh, really? That’s great. How is she?”
“Sometimes I miss my drunken father who saved me from being an orphan.”
Pure was a street child until the age of five, when he met Killian while on a mission. It was Killian who brought Pure to the Assassins, who were left without parents and on the verge of death.
Killian smiled, sipping the tea he had brought from the café, as if he was satisfied with the words “I miss you.” Although he let out a habitual exclamation of “Khaha.”
“Oh, do you miss your father?”
“I think I miss Rubin more though.”
——————
faqwiki.us
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
“What! Why Rubin!”
“Oh, didn’t you know that Puree was Rubin’s nanny?”
Killian’s expression suddenly distorted.
“I just found out. I wondered who raised such a brat, and it turns out she was my daughter.”
“If I had known I was going to meet Rubin, I would have sent him a letter telling him to tell me.”
“Puree is a sweetheart. She’s the only maid in the Roinen household who can run errands for the head of the household.”
“Whose daughter is she?”
Killian and Siren laughed lightly at each other. There were Philimond men nearby who were ogling Siren’s amazing beauty, and Killian noticed this and giggled again, teasing Siren.
As Siren brought the teacup to her lips and sipped it, old memories were vividly coming back to her mind.
As he lay dying, Amret tried to remind Seiren of her memories from the palace, but none of them were good.
Rather, the memories that occasionally made her feel good were other things, such as when she lived in the camouflage annex with Roynenser Killian.
He would come out to the square for fake role-playing lessons and improvise strange identities. Also, back then, Killian would steal helmets from wandering Imperial soldiers.
Then and now, Killian was a Roynenser who deviated from the orthodoxy.
“I happened to get to take a closer look at your youngest son. It was fun. There are many aspects of him that remind me of you.”
“Is that a compliment?”
Killian nodded playfully at that question.
But then he spoke softly, his tone becoming much more serious.
“I thought maybe there might be a Roinen bloodline that surpasses you.”
“… … .”
“You never know. Your fifth child might just sever that stubborn and disgusting tie with the Lilic royal family.”
For a moment, anger appeared in Siren’s eyes.
It wasn’t because of the insulting language towards the royal family. It was because of the expression ‘fifth child’.
“It’s the fifth irony. Your careless speech is still the same.”
“Don’t forget, Siren. Don’t forget.”
At that moment, Killian felt the darkness that Siren was emitting. Siren had touched a memory that she had long suppressed, and it had made her uncontrollable.
‘I knew I had reached 8 stars, but I didn’t know it would be this much.’
Having never felt such a vast and solid darkness in his life, Killian was in awe of Siren, but he also knew that this anger was an emotion necessary for the assassination.
“… … .”
Siren looked at Killian with a cold gaze. It was a warning that the story should stop here. Killian eventually followed her advice.
At that moment, one of the Philimond men who was trying to approach the red-haired beauty was overcome by the dark smoke she was emitting.
Immediately after that, I returned home with my legs shaking, not even knowing why I was feeling so scared and anxious.
The Siren looked across the sky and said:
“A bleached morning.”
“What do you mean?”
“The suppression operation begins this evening. It will be recorded in history books in the future.”
The palace was already preparing for the anniversary of the suppression of the rebels.
Bleaching, which means washing away pollution. A festival will be held every year to commemorate this anniversary.
“Killian, you know you can’t retire yet, right?”
“f*ck. I knew it.”
It was only natural that Killian had not achieved the retirement condition of removing Amret, so he had to continue his life as an assassin until a new retirement condition was created.
However, for an assassin with this level of experience and skill, there would be no need to set up a separate camouflage.
So Killian decided to wander the continent for a while.
“Hmm, then where should we wander this time?”
“Just drink some Oakum and wait. If a mission comes up that only you can do, I’ll call you back then.”
“Are you leaving now?”
Siren nodded and stood up. Killian also stood up with a pleased expression, holding two bundles containing Oakum materials.
Now it’s time to disperse again. To others, it looks like the two women are exchanging a quick greeting after each drinking a cup of tea.
That’s how they broke up.
* * *
“… … .”
The wind blowing across the river’s surface gently rocks the boat. It’s a day when you can clearly see the stars shining brightly when you go up onto the deck.
However, everyone inside the shaking Blue Cat had gone down to the underground compartment. Everyone’s expressions were dark.
The sound of dull footsteps echoed in unison through the street.
If you go outside now and look up at the sky, you will see a dozen or so Grandbirds filling the night sky.
Operation ‘Bleaching Morning’ started as soon as the sun set.
A surprise martial law was declared in the city, and all citizens were forced to spend the night locked in their homes.
Meanwhile, the imperial army, which was moving through the city in perfect order, captured the nobles who would become sacrificial lambs along with Amret.
Several noble families mobilized their own armed forces, but the forces dispatched by the emperor were too strong to turn the situation around.
Thanks to the efforts of the Hardem family and the special brigades, who were emitting six-star auras, the situation was resolved before midnight.
“It’s become quiet. But we’ll have to stay like this until daybreak and martial law is lifted.”
Warak, cozy, Kuze. Everyone has a tense expression, and even Tina is cowering in an uncat-like manner.
But Rubin was no different than usual.
It wasn’t because he knew the suppression force was coming. It was because he was the only one who had experienced a similar situation.
A few drops of blood scattered on a quiet street. An emperor who incites fear and rules over hypocrisy.
Anger rose again.
‘It’s always the same, Telmach.’
